Introducing the MarketScan Mortality Database
Learn how the MarketScan Mortality Database can help generate insights, examine trends and signals, and inform decisions on study design and future studies.
Mortality is one of the most objectively measurable endpoints in health outcomes research. Through the understanding of death rate, time to death, and cause of death, investigators can:
- Determine the end reason of study follow-up
- Evaluate population health trends and access to care
- Compare the effect of treatment on patient survival
- Identify factors predictive of death-related outcomes
- Estimate healthcare costs leading up to disease-related death
Real world data (RWD), including administrative claims and electronic health records (EHRs), have played a critical role in advancing healthcare analytics, informing treatment guidelines and health policies, and improving patient outcomes. However, despite the utility of mortality data, there are often challenges in getting quality mortality information in research-grade RWD.
To address this need, the MarketScan team is proud to introduce our newest offering – the MarketScan® Mortality Database. MarketScan contains rich patient-level longitudinal clinical, financial, and enrollment data. With a license to the enhanced MarketScan Mortality Database, researchers can now access mortality data from two separate sources: 1) inpatient death from hospital discharge status; and 2) Social Security Administration (SSA) Death Master File (DMF). The DMF compiles death data on SSA beneficiaries in the United States from family members, funeral homes, financial institutions, postal authority, States, and other Federal agencies.1 The MarketScan Mortality Database includes death month/year identified from both sources in the MarketScan Commercial and Medicare Databases.
The new MarketScan Mortality Database is a robust data asset for generating insights, examining trends and signals, and informing decisions on study design and future studies. For example, one can generate initial statistics on death associated with disease progression for a patient cohort over time or compare mortality outcomes between two treatment regimens and assess whether significant differences are likely to be detected. These insights can inform future evidence generation strategies. If more detailed analyses are required, for example to meet regulatory submission requirements, the MarketScan research team is available to help.
The MarketScan portfolio has served the research community for over 30 years, providing research-grade closed claims with real cost data. In addition to the core Commercial, Medicare, and Medicaid Databases, specialty datasets such as Health and Productivity Management, Lab, Health Risk Assessment, Dental, and Benefit Plan Design are also available. The new MarketScan Mortality Database is part of our continued effort to meet the ever-evolving needs for real-world evidence (RWE) generation in the healthcare space. To learn more about the MarketScan Mortality Database or how the team can help with mortality studies, please contact us.
Sources
- Social Security. Requesting SSA's Death Information, SSA's Death Information. https://www.ssa.gov/dataexchange/request_dmf.html